Efficient isotope separation by single-photon atomic sorting (original) (raw)
Abstract
We propose a general and scalable approach to isotope separation. The method is based on an irreversible change of the mass-to-magnetic moment ratio of a particular isotope in an atomic beam, followed by a magnetic multipole whose gradients deflect and guide the atoms. The underlying mechanism is a reduction of the entropy of the beam by the information of a single scattered photon for each atom that is separated. We numerically simulate isotope separation for a range of examples, which demonstrate this technique’s general applicability to almost the entire periodic table. The practical importance of the proposed method is that large-scale isotope separation should be possible, using ordinary inexpensive magnets and the existing technologies of supersonic beams and lasers.
- Received 7 May 2010
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.82.033414
©2010 American Physical Society
Authors & Affiliations
M. Jerkins1, I. Chavez1, U. Even2, and M. G. Raizen1
- 1Center for Nonlinear Dynamics and Department of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA
- 2Sackler School of Chemistry, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Figure 1
Schematic of the setup for isotope separation of lithium. Atoms from an annular oven are entrained into the flow of a carrier gas from a supersonic nozzle. A laser is tuned the D2 line of 7Li and populates all the atoms into the 22S1/2 F=1 manifold, forcing them to be antiguided.Reuse & Permissions
Figure 2
Direct simulation Monte Carlo results of the entrainment of lithium into a supersonic beam of neon using an annular lithium oven. This method is widely used to simulate rarified gas dynamics like those present in supersonic beams. The high 10% entrainment efficiency shown here enables isotope separation of significant quantities.Reuse & Permissions
Figure 3
The radial positions of the two lithium isotopes as they enter the magnetic gradient that separates them isotopically, followed by their radial positions on exiting.Reuse & Permissions
Figure 4
The magnetic flux density of a quadrupole field. The magnets surround a 1.5-cm inner diameter (1.6-cm outer diameter) stainless steel tube and are held in place with an aluminum holder. The magnets are out of vacuum, and the arrows define the direction magnetization.Reuse & Permissions
Figure 5
The radial positions of the calcium isotopes as they enter the magnetic gradient that separates them isotopically, followed by their radial positions on exiting.Reuse & Permissions
Figure 6
The radial positions of the neodymium isotopes as they enter the magnetic gradient that separates them isotopically, followed by their radial positions upon exiting.Reuse & Permissions
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